Overnight shooting north of Courtenay; suspect at large

At approximately 1:25 a.m. on March 14, the Comox Valley RCMP responded to a report of a shooting at a residence on the 5700 block of Highway 19A , north of Courtenay.

The 30-year-old resident had encountered a male on his property and after a brief interaction, was shot. The victim was taken to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect in this incident, described as a younger male approximately 20 to 25 years old, has not been located at this time.

The investigation is being led by the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crimes Section with the assistance of the canine unit, Integrated Forensic Identification Section, General Investigation Section and general duty investigators.

RCMP spokesman Const. Rob Gardner said police do not know yet whether the victim and suspect are known to each other.

“That we are not sure about,” he said. He could not confirm whether the victim was co-operating with police.

“I can’t say that; I don’t have that information.”

It is unknown at this time whether the incident was targeted, what type of gun was used, or whether it was drug or gang-related.

The Comox Valley RCMP is requesting assistance from anyone who may have been in the area during this time who may have observed anyone or anything suspicious. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 and cite file number 2018-3288. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at http://comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca/.